An Alternative Steel wheel?

[19762802+2]

I have been looking for rims to buy for my car lately, and I liked the Design that Diamond Racing wheels has to offer but I heard they no longer make 17in rims and Its not easy finding wide tires for 15 or 16in rims. So I did some searching and found a site that does Custom wheels, Widening, etc. I also found out they make some Rims in 17x9 that have the same design as the Diamond racing wheels (D-window design). I'm sure the wheels will be heavy, but if they are too heavy I might consider something else, My car will be more of a cruiser then anything else since it is a 2+2. The ones I will be looking into from them are the Explorer 72 series, and in their catalog they go for $167 a piece. I have been emailing the guy's there to see if it would be possible to do it in a 4x114.3 pattern with the Explorer series rim and I'm waiting to hear back from them.

 

I did ask them if they made them in 17x10 and they don't, so that was a bummer but I think It will end up nicer just running the same width tires all the way around for when I purchase tires so I don't have a staggered set up. They also do different styles of Steel wheels and I think aluminum and Alloy for any of you that would be interested in a different style but I thought I would post this site as a possible alternative to Diamond racing Wheels and The few other companies that make wheels as well. They also can build your rim to the Offset and backspacing that you want. I'm hoping they will be able to do it in a 4 lug pattern, I will be sure to update this when I hear back from them. If the can't it may be enough to convince me to do a 5 lug swap depending on the weight of the wheels if they are too excessive I would probably just go with the Rota's. I would love to here some input from some other Tire and rim Guru's on some thoughts and concerns about doing steel wheels and some disadvantages or advantages of steel wheels and the effects of heavier rims.

 

Here is a picture of the Explorer Series.

 

Here is the link to the Site.

http://www.stocktonwheel.com/index.php

Edited November 17, 2010 by 19752802+2

[hoov100]

I doubt diamond stopped offering custom made wheels, give them a call and ask.

[19762802+2]

I doubt diamond stopped offering custom made wheels, give them a call and ask.

 

I didn't say they stopped making custom wheels, just that I heard that they stopped making 17in. I will call them sometime for sure.

[S130Z]

I have talked to Diamond Racing and they do not offer a 17" rim size. They say this is because they do not have a large enough racing market for them.

[19762802+2]

I have talked to Diamond Racing and they do not offer a 17" rim size. They say this is because they do not have a large enough racing market for them.

 

 

Thanks for the confirmation S130Z, Thats too bad they don't I would have prefered getting the rims from them as the ones they offer on stockton are offroad/4x4 wheels, Which like I said shouldn't bother me too much as long as they don't weight too much, besides I need something to slow me down to keep me out of trouble . Plus I will most likely be taking my Z through some Dirt moutain roads for the occasional fun so I wouldn't mind the extra strength of the rim.

Edited November 17, 2010 by 19752802+2

[GOTHALOSISM]

Marsh Racing technology = 17x10's

 

http://www.rockcrawler-mrt.com/offroad%20wheels%2017%20inch.html

[hoov100]

I have talked to Diamond Racing and they do not offer a 17" rim size. They say this is because they do not have a large enough racing market for them.

 

Of course they don't offer them off the shelf, but that doesn't mean they won't you make you a custom set. (what they have been doing for years now) Until we get confirmation that they won't custom make you a set of 17's, we can't say they don't.

[19762802+2]

Of course they don't offer them off the shelf, but that doesn't mean they won't you make you a custom set. (what they have been doing for years now) Until we get confirmation that they won't custom make you a set of 17's, we can't say they don't.

 

If he asked them if they made a 17 in so and so wheel and they didn't wouldn't they have mentioned they could make them custom for him? I don't know the conversation S130Z had with them but I'm sure it was in depth if he was serious about buying a 17 in rim from them.

[mario_82_ZXT]

IIRC Diamond racing 15x8s weigh more then 20lbs.

17x10s are probably pushing 30lbs.

 

Of unsprung weight...

 

You know stock Z wheels run 13-15lbs? Something that heavy is going to make a noticeable impact in driving experience.

[S130Z]

Of course they don't offer them off the shelf, but that doesn't mean they won't you make you a custom set. (what they have been doing for years now) Until we get confirmation that they won't custom make you a set of 17's, we can't say they don't.

 

I did ask them if they could make a custom set for me.......and they said no. Then I said, "So there is no way you could get me a 17" wheel?". Then they proceeded to say, "......No."

[Snailed]

IIRC Diamond racing 15x8s weigh more then 20lbs.

17x10s are probably pushing 30lbs.

 

Of unsprung weight...

 

You know stock Z wheels run 13-15lbs? Something that heavy is going to make a noticeable impact in driving experience.

 

yeah, heavy wheels take the "sport" out of sportscar in a hurry. 19-20lbs for a 17x9 is a about the maximum I would even consider. I remember swapping out some very heavy 15s for some 12.5lb 17" wheels for a customer and the change was amazing. It rode better even with half the sidewall.

[19762802+2]

Thanks for the comments about the weight of the wheels, I did some research but It didn't really help me that much. I plan on a 1jz or 2jz swap someday, but one thing I have to wonder is the benefit of the wider tire worth the disadvantage of the added weight? I guess at what point is too much, too much? I will definitely ask them how much the 17x9 rim would weigh.

[sticky280zx]

Seriously why are you not just buying the rotas?

 

The rotas look alot better than those d windows, were made for our cars, and arent much more.

 

BUT you never said whether the $167 each was a shipped price, if not then they are probably as much or more than the rotas,not to mention ALOT heavier, and finding 4 bolt, correct offset wheels is a PITA...hence the whole point of the groupbuy.

 

As far as weight goes, you get what you pay for, 15" xxr/sportmax/drw are going to have a weight difference (possibly HUGE) vs a 15" work/ssr/ccw/kodiac etc....you either pay for a light CUSTOM wheel, or you get a medium weight/price wheel, or you get a cheap HEAVY wheel. Those are your options and really your only choices.

[19762802+2]

After some research and checking out tires, I think I'm just going to go with Diamond racing 16 inch rims. The only reason I really wanted to get 17" rims was because I thought tires would be cheaper and easier to find. After checking out Crazyoctopus's setup with his diamond racing rims, I figured I should be fine and since I work at Discount tire I can get some tires for cheaper anyways. As I said before weight isn't a huge issue with me but I like the style of the D-window design and it will go with the scheme of my car a lot better then rotas would be, Plus Crazyoctopus paid $515 to his door for his 15x10's and 15x9's I'm sure the 16's will be a bit more expensive but it still might be better then paying the $750 for the rotas. I also like the "look" of wider tires more then low profile tires. I may get flamed for that but I have changed low pros before and they aren't fun at all. My car will not be driven hard and at high speeds, I only drive about 6 miles a day if that. it will just be a fun cruiser with some little mods here and there and an eventual swap. I guess I'm going for the Medium weight/price wheel. Once I get my 2+2 on the ground and ready to roll out of the garage I will for sure take pictures.

[GOTHALOSISM]

Marsh Racing technology = 17x10'shttp://www.rockcrawler-mrt.com/offroad%20wheels%2017%20inch.html

 

 

As i said ^^^ they have 17"s with our bolt pattern. I think they are actually cheaper than Diamond racing.

[19762802+2]

As i said ^^^ they have 17"s with our bolt pattern. I think they are actually cheaper than Diamond racing.

 

Thanks, I must have not seen your post, I will check them out. Do you know if they have the D-window design? Their site layout is a bit hard to figure out and a bit distracting. I'm not sure if the D-window design would look good that large either, It would look stretched out and weird. I saw some 16 inch diamonds and thats pushing it. Thanks for the info though.

[sticky280zx]

you realize you cant fit fat sidewalls on a really wide rim on our car....itll have to be stretched...so whats the point again?

[19762802+2]

you realize you cant fit fat sidewalls on a really wide rim on our car....itll have to be stretched...so whats the point again?

 

I'm doing ZG flares, I said earlier I would do flares I know I have too and I want too, Plus I know you have to slightly stretch tires to fit on wide 16's. I plan on buying some 245/50/16's They won't be stretched in the front but just slightly stretched in the back If I can find the same brand tire to match the 245's I will try to put 255's or 265's on the rear but they are harder to find. Plus I am not slamming my car I have some eibach lowering springs I just bought and that will be it. The rota's don't have to be stretched to work on a Z if you put flares on your car and if you don't put flares on and still want to run the wide rotas then you shouldn't buy them in the first place.

Edited November 20, 2010 by 19752802+2

[sticky280zx]

no i was talking about tire selection, how it will look goofy riding high without a drop/way to keep the wheel gap minimal and not rubbing/scraping the crap out of the tires. and yea flares is a given but a flare is tapered ie not the same width so a tire would have to stretch to not be "square/flat" which would rub the flare if it was low. Sounds like your car will be high enough up with just springs and hopefully you have illuminas/adjustables to keep the bumps from pushing that tire up too far. Tire choices are just alot easier in 15 and 17s...15s have bigger sidewall, but thats more grip and aloows for stretching, and 17s have every size you could want but you do have to run shorter sidewalls, but with a good suspension setup the 275-40-17s and 235-40-17s were not a problem at all on my zx

[19762802+2]

I have been considering 15's I will have to do some more research, Thanks for the tip on the 15's and I do plan on buying some adjustable Illuminas. My reasoning with the 16's is that it would fill up slightly more room then the 15 would and leave a medium tire size instead of having too much tire with the 15 to have to fill it up. I have some more researching to do.